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The Conflict Begins. Livadia Palace of Yalta. YALTA, Overture to Conflict. At Crimean Resort of Yalta, met 3 most powerful men in the world: FDR, Stalin, Churchill February 4-12, 1945 Preliminary meeting requested by Churchill with FDR was declined by FDR

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Livadia Palace of Yalta

YALTA, Overture to Conflict

At Crimean Resort of Yalta, met 3 most powerful men in the world: FDR, Stalin, Churchill

February 4-12, 1945

Preliminary meeting requested by Churchill with FDR was declined by FDR

Said FDR of Stalin: “. . . I think that if I give him everything I possibly can and ask for nothing from him in return, noblesse oblige, he won't try to annex anything and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace.”

Agenda:

The dissection of Germany into four (US, Great Britain, France and USSR) occupational sectors

The entry of USSR into war with Japan

The fate of Poland

Formation of the United Nations

There was an agreement that the priority would be the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. After the war, Germany would be split into four occupied zones.

Stalin agreed that France might have a fourth occupation zone in Germany and Austria but it would have to be formed out of the American and British zones.

Germany would undergo demilitarization and denazification.

German reparations were partly to be in the form of forced labor. (see also Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union). The forced labor was to be used to repair damage Germany inflicted on its victims.[citation needed]

Creation of a reparation council which would be located in Russia.

The status of Poland was discussed. It was agreed to reorganize the communist Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland that had been installed by the Soviet Union "on a broader democratic basis."

The Polish eastern border would follow the Curzon Line, and Poland would receive territorial compensation in the West from Germany.

Churchill alone pushed for free elections in Poland.[7] The British leader pointed out that UK "could never be content with any solution that did not leave Poland a free and independent state". Stalin pledged to permit free elections in Poland, but eventually never honored his promise.

Citizens of the Soviet Union and of Yugoslavia were to be handed over to their respective countries, regardless of their consent.

Roosevelt obtained a commitment by Stalin to participate in the United Nations.

Stalin requested that all of the 16 Soviet Socialist Republics would be granted United Nations membership. This was taken into consideration, but 14 republics were denied.

Stalin agreed to enter the fight against the Empire of Japan within 90 days after the defeat of Germany.

Nazi war criminals were to be hunted down and brought to justice.

A "Committee on Dismemberment of Germany" was to be set up.

"Marshal Stalin as a negotiator was the toughest proposition of all…Of course the man was ruthless and of course he knew his purpose. He never wasted a word. He never stormed, he was seldom even irritated."3

Post-Yalta Failures

The wording was vague & subject to interpretation.

FDR agreed that Stalin should keep the Soviet gains agreed to in the Nazi-Soviet Pact, inclKresy

By March 21, Roosevelt's Ambassador to the USSR Averell Harriman cabled Roosevelt that "we must come clearly to realize that the Soviet program is the establishment of totalitarianism, ending personal liberty and democracy as we know it."

Post-Yalta Failures

March 27, 1944, 16 members of Polish opposition party were invited to Moscow to participate in the agreed provisional government negotiations

On arrival, they were arrested by NKVD (GPU) agents and sentenced to GuLAGs

Eventually, fraudulent elections were held in Poland in Jan 1947 and established “official” Communist state by 1949

By March 21, Roosevelt's Ambassador to the USSR Averell Harriman cabled Roosevelt that "we must come clearly to realize that the Soviet program is the establishment of totalitarianism, ending personal liberty and democracy as we know it."

Operation Keelhaul

By the end of World War II, there were over 5 million (maybe 8 ½ million) displaced Russians in Western Europe

March 31, 1944 a secret codicil was added to Yalta agreement which would not be made public for 50 years

Churchill and FDR agreed to forcibly return these refugees to the Soviet Union

This was extended to include all Eastern Europeans

Considered “Western Betrayal” of Polish and non-Communist Russians (someone needs to do a paper on this one!)

Operation Keelhaul

between August 14, 1946 and May 9, 1947 American and British forces rounded up these refugees and turned them over to Communist authorities

Treated as traitors and their fate was execution, torture and slave labor

Many were executed within earshot of British forces

Polish soldiers, Cossacks, White-émigré Russians, Yugoslav partisans, OST-Arbeiter(Eastern Europeans captured and forced into slave labor by the Nazis) were among the betrayed

Beginning of the UN

The UN Charter was finalized at the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO) 25 April 1945-26 June 1945 in San Francisco.

The conference was chaired by U.S. diplomat Alger Hiss as Secretary General.

The UN Charter was adopted by fifty nations including the US and ratified by the Senate with very little debate on July 28, 1945.

Iron Curtain Falls in Eastern Europe

April 12, 1945, FDR died suddenly leaving the world including his Vice President (Truman) in shock

At Potsdam Conference Truman, Attlee (replaced Churchill), Stalin met to conclude World War II which was still raging in Pacific

Stalin reiterated promises not to incorporate Eastern Europe into the Soviet bloc and to permit “self-determination”.

Iron Curtain

With Churchill out of the picture, there was no resisting Stalin

Truman was focused on ending the war with Japan and willing to make concessions

Unlike Wallace, Truman departed from FDR’s all out trust of Soviets (moderate liberal)

Member of Cabinet Henry Wallace insisted that the Soviets be trusted and should be catered to (progressive liberal)

This became the basis for elections in 1948, As the Soviet intentions became obvious, the progressives platform became unpopular (even though atrocities of repatriation were unknown to the public until 1994)

Iron Curtain Falls

Not only didn’t the Red Army not pull out of Eastern Europe but rigged elections set up

Cabinet divided, Wallace protested that we must continue FDR’s approach of currying favor with Soviets

Secy State James F Byrnes demanded Truman dismiss the wayward cabinet member and Truman did on Sep 16, 1946

Truman Doctrine

Next was Greece on the chopping block:

Communist guerillas supported by Albania, Bulgaria and mainly Yugoslavia tried to topple the governments of Greece and Turkey

First attempt by West to stop Soviet take over

March 12, 1947 President Truman addressed joint session of Congress:

outlined a strategy of “containment” of Soviet advance

“Truman Doctrine”

Containment was a reactionary, restrictive diplomacy

“may well have contributed to the perpetuation of the Cold War.”

Greek Civil War

Yugoslav Communist leader, Marshall Josip Broz Tito, led his country through World War II and afterward without the assistance of the Red Army. He despised Stalin’s despotism and finally broke with the Soviet Bloc in 1948 and remained as a non-aligned Communist country.

Facing an unexpected dilemma, the Greek Communists elected to side with Stalin.

In retaliation, Tito drove the Greeks out of Yugoslavia, dismantled the bases and closed Yugoslav borders. Without resources, the Greek Communists were eventually overrun and annihilated. 6

First application of Truman Doctrine

Greek government managed to muster 90,000 troops supported by arms supplied initially by the UK and later by the US under the Truman Doctrine.

Greek Communist forces were heavily reliant on support from Yugoslavia where they had established bases.

Checking the Growth of Communism in Europe

Germany was in desperate straits: before the war, most of the food came from Eastern Europe

After the iron curtain fell, food was cut of to the Western zones

Russia incorporated Eastern Poland and to compensate gave the bread basket of East Germany to Poland

US Morganthau plan called for deindustrialization of Germany to 50% of prewar levels

Marshall Plan

For fear of Soviet misinterpretation of the European Recovery Program as an attempt to Americanize Western Europe, Secretary of State George C. Marshall declared, “our policy is not directed against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos.”

Despite this, it was an important strategy designed to check the spread of Communism

In June 1948, the United States engaged in a bold, ambitious plan to bolster up and rehabilitate post-war Europe, the European Recovery Program (“Marshall Plan”). Over a three year period, the plan cost American taxpayers $10.2 billion.

Success of Marshall Plan

The popularity of indigenous Communist parties in the West, especially in Italy and France, was fueled by post war poverty. America wisely abandoned Morgenthau plan as recommended by former President Hoover

Unlike Soviets who were in process of assimilating or stripping Eastern Europe, America helped Western Europe get back on its feet.

By 1951, all countries that participated in Marshall plan had economies >35% improved over pre-war levels

Marshall plan set up the first unified European economy by erasing trade barriers and setting up institutions to coordinate economic development across the continent

Soviet Reaction to Marshall Plan

Incompatible with Soviet plans to punish Germany & Europe

Since Marshall Plan was offered to all European countries, Poland & Czechoslovakia were interested

Never any formal agreement for access to West Berlin, only 3 air corridors permitted by Soviets

West relied on “goodwill” of USSR

Berlin Airlift

When the Soviets cut off electricity, food and supplies to Western Berlin,

The administration came up with an elegant and unprecedented plan: the Berlin Airlift.

At one minute intervals, military transport aircraft took off with supplies every day for over a year.

Soviet military aircraft began to violate West Berlin airspace and harass (or "buzz“) flights in and out of West Berlin.On April 5, 1948 a Soviet Air Force Yak-3 fighter collided with a British European Airways Vickers VC.1B Viking airliner near RAF Gatow airfield, killing all aboard both aircraft.

Berlin Airlift

The airlift was so overwhelmingly successful and embarrassing to the Soviets that in May 1949, they lifted the blockade. The airlift continued another 3 months to build up a reserve.

Some of the achievements of the airlift included:

1. 1,500 flights a day

2. lasted fifteen months

3. total of 278,228 flights

4. delivered 2,326,306 tons of food and supplies

5. 17 US and 8 British aircraft loss with total of 101 fatalities

6. Cost was$224 million (1949 dollars)

1948 Presidential Elections

By end of 1948, support for USSR was unthinkable in USA

Henry Wallace’s Progressive ticket was soft on Soviets ala FDR and failed to generate popular support

Truman’s proven moderate stance received an overwhelming victory and Truman carried on for another term as President

Truman Takes it Up a Notch

Bitter over the broken promises by the Soviet Union and mounting infidelity exhibited by Stalin’s regime, the Western Allies responded by forming a new alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This was the third and most enduring of the three foreign policy legacies established by the Truman administration:

Unlike the Marshall Plan, this was a military alliance, a defensive pact that if any one of the members of NATO were attacked, it would be considered an attack on them all.

Concluding a Decade of Trouble

At that same time, the NATO allies agreed to for an independent Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

Incensed, the Soviets formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) extending the iron curtain further West.

It was now apparent that the promised reunification of Germany was never going to happen.

Furthermore, the Soviets shocked the world by detonating a nuclear weapon on August 29, 1949.

Now with the hardening of the Soviet position and the widening rift between East and West, the world was now locked in a long and dreadful arms race which affected the lives of everyone on the face of the planet.